And so I finish this ravishing series. And might I say the end was a disappointment. While I was not expecting ‘happily ever after’ for anyone, I was hoping for, well, hope. It was a dismal end to a great story. And the questions I cared most about were left unanswered. For example, Logen Ninefingers and West share a terrifying ability. They both suffer headaches and then fly into a mindless rage. It sounds like pseudo-PTSD, but there seems to be a mystical element to it. And also a genetic component, West’s father seems to have suffered the same ability. But it can’t be PTSD, because the first time it happened to Logen, he was still a happy Northerner child. So what is it? Alas, I do not know.
The book is filled with ups and downs, and surprising ups and worse downs. Both Jezal and Logen are named kings of their respective countries, but only Jezal seems to be able to do any good about it. Jezal is probably the only character in the entire book with any significant amount of character growth. He starts off as a stereotypical playboy miscreant, and turns into a benevolent king, beloved of the masses. The same masses he spat upon at the beginning of the book, that is, when he actually deigned to notice them. Logen attempts character growth, but he falls back into his murderous ways as soon as he is among his Northerner brethren. Ferro is still Ferro, but perhaps is not so murderous as she once was. If she can Identify with a would-be victim, she might let them go. Maybe that is significant character growth, for her. Glokta is much the same as well. He does save two lives by the end, but he does not show any signs of changing his torturous ways.
All in all, I give this book a big thumbs up, despite the depression. Maybe I’m a little bit masochistic that way, but I love books that explore the greys in life. And in life, there are no happy endings, so why should there be ones in books? Maybe some people read to escape reality, but I read to explore reality. I read somewhere, or heard somewhere, that people who read are more likely to be empathetic. It has something to do with the fact that readers are constantly putting themselves in another person’s shoes. They are constantly see the world from a different perspective, and this gives them the practice to do so in real life. And for that to be effective, we can’t always get our happy endings in our books. Suspension of disbelief only takes us so far
Some people might think that the portrayal of women in this series shows Abercrobie’s misogynistic self. I disagree. The women are certainly few and far between, and they are not treated fairly, but this is a misogynistic world that they are in. All of the POV characters are fighters, or once were. In this world, women are not in the military, so a fighting woman would be very rare to come by. Yet we have Ferro, my favorite spitfire.
The other major women in the series, Ardee, Cathil, Vitari, and even Terez are beautifully complex women, even if their characters are not explored deeply. Ardee is a lonely, selfish, drunk. Full of self-loathing, but a good heart underneath it all. Cathil has been hardened by life, and takes life and opportunities as they come. Vitari has a great self-preservation instinct, is a loving mother, and a brutal enemy. Terez has known since she was a child that she would be married off for the betterment of her country, but she never accepted her fate. Not until her true lover was threatened did she show her true passion and selflessness. She was willing to do literally anything to protect her love. They are not perfect angels, and they are not evil spinsters. They are something in between, just like the men in this series.
Booktastik Reviews 